OpenCouch

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What OpenCouch is

OpenCouch is a pre-beta AI chat companion for day-to-day emotional support, self-reflection, and practical coping. It carries information between sessions through three memory layers: semantic facts, episodic arcs, and procedural rules. The project also includes 13 guided coping exercises that track state over multiple turns and retain consent and progress as a conversation continues.

Before generating a response, a safety classifier assesses every turn. It can direct a conversation to a specialist crisis agent, with a durable audit log. OpenCouch offers a Next.js web chat, a text terminal interface, and a FastAPI backend with REST and WebSocket access. The text runtime uses the OpenAI Agents SDK, and real model runs require an OpenAI API key. Durable storage for memory, sessions, crisis logs, and feedback requires Postgres; guest and incognito runs are temporary. The documented local deployment uses Docker Compose with Postgres and FastAPI, with an optional web container. OpenCouch is free and licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. Its voice path is still being stabilized. The project is not a therapist, diagnostic tool, emergency service, or substitute for professional mental health care or medical advice.

Who it suits

OpenCouch may suit people seeking an AI companion for self-reflection and guided wellness exercises, especially those who want memory to persist between sessions. Its pre-beta status and local deployment requirements make it more suited to users comfortable with a developing, self-hosted project.

What it does well

Three-layer memory carries information across sessions.
Includes 13 state-tracked, multi-turn coping exercises.
A classifier checks each turn before response generation.
Can route to a specialist crisis agent with an audit log.
Offers web chat, terminal, REST, and WebSocket interfaces.
Free and released under the AGPL v3.0.

What to know first

Durable persistence requires Postgres.
Real model runs require an OpenAI API key.
The project is pre-beta and actively stabilizing.
It is not a substitute for professional mental health care.

Limits

Postgres is the only supported durable backend; guest and incognito runs are ephemeral. Real model runs require an OpenAI API key, and the voice path remains pre-beta.

Getting started

Open the project website on GitHub.
Use the documented Docker Compose setup with Postgres and the FastAPI backend.
Add the optional web container if you want the Next.js chat interface.
Provide an OpenAI API key for real model runs.
Use the text terminal interface or access the FastAPI REST and WebSocket backend.

Verdict

Choose OpenCouch if you want a free, open-source companion with persistent memory, guided exercises, and safety routing, and can work with its pre-beta deployment. Look elsewhere for professional or emergency mental health care, or if you need a stabilized voice experience.

Questions

Is OpenCouch free?

Yes. It is free and open source under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0.

Which platforms does it support?

It provides a web chat, text terminal interface, and API access through a FastAPI REST and WebSocket backend. It can be self-hosted.

Does OpenCouch remember conversations?

Its three-layer memory stores semantic facts, episodic arcs, and procedural rules across sessions. Durable memory requires Postgres; guest and incognito runs are ephemeral.

Does it connect to other services?

The text runtime uses the OpenAI Agents SDK, and real model runs require an OpenAI API key. Postgres is required for durable persistence.

Is OpenCouch a mental health service?

No. It is not a therapist, diagnostic tool, or emergency service, and it is not a substitute for professional care or medical advice.

How mature is the product?

The project describes itself as pre-beta and actively stabilizing. Its voice path is also pre-beta and still being stabilized.

Facts from OpenCouch's own pages

Care limitation: OpenCouch states that it is not a therapist, diagnostic tool, emergency service, or substitute for professional mental health care or medical advice. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Compliance: The repository pages reviewed do not state any compliance certification. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Data persistence limit: Postgres is the only supported durable backend; guest and incognito runs are ephemeral. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Deployment: The documented local stack uses Docker Compose with Postgres and a FastAPI backend, with an optional web container. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Guided exercises: It includes 13 state-tracked, multi-turn coping exercises, with consent and progress preserved across turns. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Integrations: The text runtime uses the OpenAI Agents SDK, real model runs require an OpenAI API key, and durable persistence uses Postgres. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Intended users: The maker describes OpenCouch as a pre-beta AI companion for self-reflection and guided wellness exercises with persistent memory and safety routing. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Interfaces: The project provides a Next.js web chat, a text terminal interface, and a FastAPI REST and WebSocket backend. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
License: OpenCouch is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Limitations: OpenCouch says it is not a therapist, diagnostic tool, emergency service, or substitute for professional mental health care or medical advice. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Observability: Tracing supports structured logging, state diagnostics, and OpenTelemetry/OTLP export. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Persistence requirement: Postgres is the only supported durable backend for thread state, long-term memory, active sessions, crisis logs, and feedback; guest or incognito runs are ephemeral. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Persistent memory: Its three-layer memory stores semantic facts, episodic arcs, and procedural rules across sessions. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Project status: The project describes itself as pre-beta and actively stabilizing, with a closed beta planned. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Purpose: OpenCouch is a chat companion for day-to-day emotional support, self-reflection, and practical coping. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Safety: Every turn is safety-classified before response generation, with a specialist crisis agent and durable crisis audit log. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Safety routing: A safety classifier evaluates each turn before response generation and can hand off to a specialist crisis agent with a durable audit log. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Security and privacy: The project describes privacy-safe tracing and recommends keeping real environment files local and out of version control. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs bug reports and feature requests to GitHub Issues and asks users to report safety concerns privately. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Voice status: The voice path is described as pre-beta and dogfood-oriented, with the product voice experience still being stabilized. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026

Where OpenCouch stands on Freedom251

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